EVANSTON — Two decades after they entered a burning townhouse attempting a rescue the children they thought were inside, those living in this small town on Wyoming’s western border with Utah remember the two firefighters who died in the attempt.
Lt. Robert Henderson, 3,9 and firefighter Jacob Cook, 23, were the first truck on the scene the afternoon of April 18, 2005, arriving to find smoke coming from an end unit of five connected townhouse apartments.
“They were the ones that deployed the first actual attack line going into the building trying to attempt a search and rescue maneuver for possible trapped occupants that they were told of,” said Tim Overy, now battalion chief for the Evanston Fire Department.
A “smoke explosion” inside the building claimed their lives.
The children bystanders told them about that sent them into the structure had already escaped.
Since that day, the Evanston Fire Department has honored the sacrifice of its hero firefighters with an annual pilgrimage to their graves every April 18 to lay special memorials. With this being the 20th anniversary, the department also offered a public community memorial at its downtown firehouse.
Evanston Fire Department Chief Rustin Wagstaff said honoring the lost firefighters remains crucial for his agency and the community.
“We’ve gone to the point that all of the newer fire apparatus have a sticker put on the truck that says, ‘never forget,’” he said. “And it’s very important to us that we never forget those guys and the sacrifice that they made for their community.”
The four full-time staff and about 40 volunteers in the fire department who now serve Evanston continue to mirror what the agency was two decades ago.
Both Henderson and Cook were volunteers, and their loss was a blow the department will never be fully over, Overy said.
“It was a very sobering day and a day filled with emotions,” he said. “The event was something we never experienced before and it took its toll on our agency. It was tough to get through.”
It was 20 years ago on April 18, 2005, when Evanston, Wyoming, firefighters Robert Henderson and Jacob Cook ran into a burning apartment building to rescue children they though were inside. The children had gotten out, but they died in the attempt. The local fire department honors their sacrifice every year. (Uinta County Fire and Ambulance) 
It was 20 years ago on April 18, 2005, when Evanston, Wyoming, firefighters Robert Henderson and Jacob Cook ran into a burning apartment building to rescue children they though were inside. The children had gotten out, but they died in the attempt. The local fire department honors their sacrifice every year. (Uinta County Fire and Ambulance) 
Robert Henderson, left, and Jacob Cook (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
Wiring Failed
The fire in the townhouse was caused by occupants storing items on top of an electrical line in the apartment loft.
The wiring failed and started the fire, Overton said. The type of construction used in the building kept the fire behind a wall, but the apartment filled with smoke.
While Henderson and Cook entered the building, other firefighters tried to open a wall to find the fire.
“When that (happened), the combination of the smoke in the bedroom and the fire on the other side of the wall mixed and caused what is known as a smoke explosion,” Overy said. “And that was the subsequent final moment for them when that explosion took place.”
The explosion blew a wall loose that allowed more oxygen to the fire. Overy said winds that day were about 30 mph, which intensified the fire and made recovery of the pair more difficult.
To honor their comrades after the incident, the firefighters at the department held a fundraiser and built a memorial outside the department that includes a bell and plaques with their photos on it.
Overy said Friday’s memorial ceremony would include ringing the bell for each firefighter and a presentation of wreaths by the fire department’s honor guard. Family members who live in the community were expected to attend.
Both men left grieving families.
Henderson, an 11-year veteran of the department, was married and the father of three children. He had served in the U.S. Army in a tank unit and had participated in the Persian Gulf War.
Cook was recently married and had been on the department for two years.
Brothers Who Serve
Overy said Cook’s younger twin brothers, who were seniors in high school in 2005, now serve on the department. They joined a couple of years after the incident. Both recently were promoted to the rank of captain.
“They are very heavily involved in our organization and do a lot for us and have held that tradition of their brother very high,” Overy said.
He said their brother’s sacrifice has a been a motivation for the pair and they are “very valuable assets to our organization.”
One of the twins, Matt Cook, is Emergency Medical Services chief for the Uinta County. Attempts to reach him were not successful by the time this story was posted.
Cook told the Uinta County Herald that he passes the fire department’s memorial to his brother every day as he goes to work.
“This year definitely hits harder,” he said. “I think about him when I pass it, and it’s a large reason why I do this.”
The explosion and fire that claimed Henderson and Cook also caused injuries to other firefighters at the department.
The funeral service April 23, 2005, at Evanston High School drew hundreds, including first responders from throughout the West. Gov. Dave Freudenthal honored the pair.
“They were two wonderful people … not just for what they did,” he said as quoted in the Casper Star-Tribune on Sunday, April 24. “But heroes to their family and friends.”
Overy said he hopes the department’s 20th anniversary remembrance of Henderson and Cook’s sacrifice helps continue to remind people about the “vital role” of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel in Wyoming.
“That’s a huge thing for our state. I serve on several boards for our state and our state couldn’t function the way it does without them,” he said. “To have an event like this is truly devastating to communities and we hope that people realize they are giving their time freely.
“They are doing this because they love their communities, and they love their fellow man.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
